Into the Silent Night
|released = December 25, 2018 |pre = Campfire |con = Resolutions}} Into the Silent Night is a short story written by . Story Cold. Tahu, Toa Mata of Fire, wiped the snow from the slits in his golden Kanohi Hau once again. In an attempt keep more of the precipitation from entering his eyes, he held up his hand. This, however, blocked his field of vision. Not that he could see much anyway, since all around him was complete whiteness. He could barely hear the crunch of his own footsteps over the roaring wind rushing into his audio receptors. “How much further?” he yelled as loud as he could. “I don’t know,” came the reply. “We should be getting close.” “We can barely see anything in this blizzard.” Tahu called back. “That’s not a problem for me!” came a hearty voice. “It’s better than seeing your ugly mugs!” “You have the ability to call upon the powers of the Kanohi Akaku, too. You know that, right?” the other voice said. A thin smile traced the edges of his mouth. He had forgotten that. While he had possessed the power of all six Great Kanohi, he had always preferred his own Kanohi Hau over the others. Maybe he just liked the feel of having a protective shield around him at all times. Closing his eyes, he felt a slight surge of energy as he activated the powers of the Kanohi Akaku imbued in his Golden Kanohi. Opening his eyes, he looked around, and the complete blankness he had seen before was replaced with a clear view of the valley they were traversing. Looking around, he saw his fellow Toa Mata, Kopaka, Master of Ice, leading the way ahead of him. To his right, Pohatu, Toa Mata of Stone, was also holding his hands in front of his face to block the snow. Looking behind, he saw that their Matoran companions, Jala, Huki, and Matoro, were still trudging along. He frowned as he saw them struggle to make their way through the deep snow. “Kopaka,” Tahu said. “Can’t you get rid of this storm?” He nodded. “I could. But that would alert our enemy to our presence.” “I understand,” the Toa of Fire replied. “But I don’t think the Matoran are going to be able to take much more of this.” “We have to keep on. We don’t have much time,” Kopaka said. “They’re not going to be able to survive in this weather,” Pohatu joined in. The Toa of Ice looked back at the trio, and nodded. “We can find a cave to rest for a little while,” he said. “But we have to get moving again soon.” Tahu smiled. “Thank you, brother.” “There’s a cave over there,” Pohatu pointed to his right, where the two other Toa saw the base of a mountain. “Alright,” the Toa of Fire said to the three Matoran. “We’re going to seek shelter for a moment. Follow us.” Jala nodded and they followed as the three Toa led them towards the mountain. As they walked, the blizzard seemed to intensify. Noticing this, they picked up their pace, making their way as fast as they could through the snow. A couple minutes later, which had felt like hours, they reached the entrance to the cave. Rushing inside, Pohatu used his powers to create a wall of stone in the entrance, submerging them in darkness except for the glow of their eyes. Tahu ignited his flame sword, casting a flickering orange light around the room. “We can only afford to stay here about half an hour,” Kopaka magnetically attached his blade and shield to his back. “Then we’ll have to get moving again.” “I don’t get why we have to come out here in the middle of a blizzard,” Jala shivered as he sat against the wall of the cave. “Because Turaga Nuju said that if we waited too long to go to the village of Mafa, it would be too late,” the Toa of Ice replied. “The Bohrok are increasing the frequency of their attacks,” Tahu continued. “We believe that Mafa is the next village to be hit.” “And so the Turaga decided to send us,” Pohatu crossed his arms as he leaned against the wall. Tahu shrugged. “We are the Toa. It’s our duty.” “Plus,” Matoro said. “The other Toa are going to Riha for another mission.” “So we’re all pulling our weight,” Kopaka put his hands on his hips. “But why did we have to come?” Huki asked. “If you couldn’t tell, Ko-Wahi is very different from Po-Wahi. I’m way out of my element.” “Yeah, so are most of us,” Jala groaned. “You were chosen to accompany us because you’re some of the most elite Matoran on the island. You’re needed to help evacuate the Matoran if it comes to that,” Tahu explained. “I would think three Toa could handle that,” Huki replied. “You think too little of yourselves,” Pohatu said. “We’re just Matoran,” Jala stood up. “We can’t control nature or use Kanohi powers.” “That may be true,” Tahu nodded. “But those things don’t define you. Your merit defines you.” “I doubt that,” the Ta-Matoran replied. “Maybe someday, if I become a Toa, I would believe that.” “The cold’s just messing with your judgment, Jala,” Matoro spoke up. “I believe in you.” He chuckled. “You’re also immune to the cold.” “Fair point,” the Ko-Matoran conceded. “Just because you’re a Matoran doesn’t mean you’re powerless,” Pohatu said. “I know there’s been multiple times since we arrived here that we’ve felt pretty powerless.” “Well, I wouldn’t put it that way-,” Tahu began to correct him. “Don’t,” he cut off his brother. “I guess we’ll have to wait and see,” Jala sat back down. As they were speaking, Kopaka was looking into the darkness at the back of the cave. The telescopic lenses on his golden Akaku were continually extending and retracting, as if he were studying something. The Toa of Stone saw this and joined his brother in the dim light. “What is it, Kopaka?” he asked. “Something’s not right about this cave and the tunnels through the mountain,” he replied. “They don’t appear naturally occurring.” Pohatu raised an eyebrow. “What does that mean, then?” “I don’t know,” Kopaka looked at him. “But I suggest we leave this cave and get to Mafa.” Tahu and the three Matoran had noticed their conversation and joined them. “We’re leaving?” Huki asked. “Why?” “Yeah,” Jala said. “What’s wrong with the cave?” “I don’t know,” the Toa of Ice shook his head. “But I’m not particularly keen to stick around and find out.” The Toa of Fire looked into the darkness before nodding to his fellow Toa. “Alright. Let’s get moving.” “But we just got here!” the Po-Matoran exclaimed. “And now we’re leaving,” Kopaka replied. “It’s a wasteland out there,” Jala said. “We could barely keep up with you. Not to mention that my joints are frozen.” “We’re not staying here, and that’s final,” he snapped. Sighing, the Captain of the Guard nodded. “Okay.” Together, the six of them began to move towards the entrance. Pohatu was about to lower the barrier when the cave began to shake. Looking around, their eyes widened as they saw six lights glaring at them from the darkness. Tahu, increasing the brightness of his flame, revealed what the lights were. Bohrok. Two Kohrak stood with a Tahnok, their Kranas throbbing sickly beneath their faceplates. Their insectoid photoreceptors eyed them with curiosity, obviously determining if they were a threat or not. Evidently, they were, since a moment later the Kohrak activated their saws as the Tahnok activated its fire shields. The Toa stepped in front of the Matoran, standing between them and the Bohrok. Tahu and Kopaka readied their weapons as Pohatu created gauntlets of stone around his hands. “Stay back,” the Toa of Fire said to the three Matoran. “We’ll handle this.” At once, the three Bohrok charged at the Toa. Springing forward, the three met their attackers’ blows. Sparks flew as the spinning blades of the Kohrak spun against Tahu and Kopaka’s swords, while Pohatu swung his fists at the Tahnok. The Matoran were huddled at the edge of the cave, trying to keep clear of the action. Tahu jumped out of the way as his Kohrak unleashed a blast of ice on him. He in turn created a cyclone of flame. The creature quickly extinguished it with its powers, and folding into a ball, rolled at the Toa of Fire. Having not expected this, it caught him by surprise. The Kohrak struck him with its body, knocking him to the ground. Pohatu was not faring so well against his own adversary. He had been attempting to hurl blocks of stone at the Bohrok, but every time he did, the Tahnok would use its Fire Shields to melt the projectiles. The Toa of Stone was also attempting to land a fatal blow to the Bohrok’s faceplate, which would release the Krana,. But at each attempt, it would unleash twin jets of fire to stop him. Kopaka was perhaps the most evenly-matched out of the three, as he was fighting fire with fire, or in this case, ice with ice. Each attack he launched was countered by a similar one. Firing a blast of ice, the Kohrak would simply use its own affinity over the element to break through and attack the Toa. And the same would hold true for its attacks against the Master of Ice. His telescopic lenses adjusted themselves as he brought up his shield as the Bohrok brought its twin saws down on it. The dark cave was illuminated by the wave of sparks spraying from surface of the shield. Straining against the Kohrak’s offensive, Kopaka swung his blade at the body of the insectoid. It flew directly into the gears on the underside of its body. There was a sickening noise as the blade crashed into the creature’s gears. The Bohrok immediately stopped its attack, its form shaking unnaturally as its systems malfunction due to its damaged gears. A moment later it stopped, standing completely still. The lights in its eyes went out, and it fell backwards onto the floor of the cave, apparently dead. “Huh,” the Toa muttered to himself. Behind him, the other Toa were not having as much luck as their brother. Each of Pohatu’s attacks were met with a wave of fire, which forced him to retreat continually. Similarly, each of Tahu’s attacks were either met with a blast of ice or the Kohrak’s spinning blades. “This is really getting on my nerves!” Tahu said as he rolled out of the way of the Bohrok as it snapped its head at him. “Same here!” Pohatu replied. Tahu created a shield of fire with his sword as the Kohrak fired a massive blast of ice at him. It struck the barrier of flame with brutal force, forcing the Toa to take a step back. Steam filled the dimly-lit cave, obscuring the Toa and his opponent from sight. Peering through the mist, he called upon the power of the Akaku imbued in his Kanohi. He saw the Bohrok still ahead of him, continuing its assault. The Toa was about to counter-attack when suddenly the creature ceased its attack and sprung at him. Tahu barely brought up his blade to defend himself when he was struck by the Bohrok, launching him backwards across the cave. Crashing into the wall, his head buzzed as he tried to get up. The Kohrak folded itself into a ball and shot forward, the floor rumbling with its approach. Taking his flame sword in hand, he thrust it forward just as the Bohrok was about to strike him. There was a cracking noise followed by a sparking noise as the Toa’s blade pierced the creature’s faceplate and went straight through its Krana and out the other side. Standing up, he pulled the sword from the limp mechanical creature. He smiled as he admired his handiwork. Pohatu dove to the ground as the Tahnok fired twin jets of flame at him. Instead, they struck the wall behind him, melting part of it into lava. Flipping off the floor, he swung his armored fists at it. He managed to land a blow to its left eye, shattering it. It seemed to take no notice, however, as it swung its shields at him again. He dodged them, barely avoiding getting slashed by them. Swinging another fist at it, he managed to graze its faceplate, creating a crack. It then snapped its face at him, striking him in the torso and knocking him backwards. Skidding to a stop, he looked up to see the Bohrok charging at him. He barely dodged it, causing it to sink its shields into the rock. Seeing that this left an opening, the Toa of Stone did not hesitate before smashing his fist into the creature’s remaining eye. It shattered just like the first, leaving the Tahnok completely blind. “Ha!” Pohatu smiled broadly. However, despite its eyesight being destroyed, it turned towards the Toa and pulled its head back. “Watch out!” Jala cried. The Bohrok snapped its head at the Toa of Stone, but he had been prepared for it. Jumping out of the way of it, he brought his foot up and slammed it into the underside of the creature’s head. The sheer force of the kick snapped the Tahnok’s neck and set it crashing to the ground, immobile. Panting, the three Toa looked at each other. “That was fun,” Tahu growled, sheathing his sword on his back. “Let’s move. Now,” Kopaka said, looking back down towards the darkness. “Before any more come.” “Good idea,” Pohatu walked over to the entrance. “Let’s do that.” Placing his hands on the makeshift doorway, they glow with elemental energy before the stone crumbled away into dust. As soon as the gate was open a blast of chilling wind and snow flooded into the cave, chilling four of them to the bone. “On second thought...” the Toa of Stone shivered as Kopaka, Tahu and Matoro ventured into the wasteland. “Why couldn’t we have had a nice day in Ga-Wahi?” Huki sighed before he and the others went to join their comrades. The raging wind howled in their audio receptors while it seemingly cut right through their armor. Their feet crunched in the snow as they attempted to keep the flakes from flying into their eyes. “What were the Bohrok doing in that cave?” Tahu asked Kopaka after they were a significant distance from the entrance. “I don’t know,” he replied. “But there is a network of tunnels under the mountain. They don’t appear natural. It is possible that they are using them as a means of traveling undetected.” “And they figured we were going to stop them?” Pohatu inquired. The Toa of Ice nodded. “Probably. Which is why we should hurry to get to Mafa.” They were pressing on when suddenly a blast of energy struck the three Toa in the back, sending them crashing to the ground. The Matoran turned in surprise to see the massive form of a Bohrok Kaita Ra standing before them. It had been formed from a Gahlok, Pahrak, and a Nuhvok. Its insectoid eyes looked at them with interest before flashing. It then began to approach them, elemental energy crackling in its weapon. The three grabbed their Bamboo Disks from their backs and readied to defend themselves. A second later it unleashed an incredible blast of power at them. They were forced to dive out of the way as it struck the snow, sending a great cloud of it into the air. Jala was the first to throw his disk at the beast. It cut through the wind like an ax through water. It smashed into the side of the Kaita’s head, knocking it slightly. However, it didn’t do much more than to anger it, as it fired another blast of energy at the Ta-Matoran. Huki was the next to attack. He launched his disk, sending it crashing into its knee. Like Jala’s, it didn’t have much effect, merely moving its leg slightly. Its head snapped in the direction of the Po-Matoran and fired a blast at him. He jumped out of the way, but was caught in the shockwave as the blast hit the snow. Matoro was the last one standing. Managing to have gotten behind the creature, he lined his disk up with a crevice on its back, which he was assuming was a weak spot in its form. Taking a deep breath, he brought back his arm, and readied to throw. Seeing that the beast was beginning to turn around, he decided it was now or never. Throwing it, the disk flew from his hand with incredible speed and struck his target straight and true. It knocked the Bohrok Kaita Ra forward and onto its knees. By this time, Tahu, Pohatu, and Kopaka had recovered themselves and had surrounded the creature. Their bodies were radiating with raw power. Together, the three Toa unleashed powerful blasts of elemental energy. They all hit the Kaita with devastating force. The Matoran were forced to cover their eyes as they were blinded by the intense glow of the attack. The Toa yelled because of the massive amount of power leaving their bodies. Bolts of energy shot from them like lightning. The snow began to melt with the heat of Tahu’s fire, while the storm got worse with Kopaka’s. Around Pohatu, the snow was turning from white to brown as it filled with particles of stone. “That’s enough!” Kopaka said as he saw what they were doing to the weather. Tahu and Pohatu noticed too, and together, the three stopped their attacks. Blasts of energy sprayed from each them in a flash of light. They fell to their knees, exhausted. The Matoran ran to the Toa and helped them up. As they did so, Huki glanced at where the Bohrok Kaita had been. “Whoa,” he said. The Bohrok Kaita Ra had been completely obliterated by the combined power of the Toa. Only fragments of its armor remained, and were severely deteriorated. Jala knelt down and picked up a piece of one of the Bohrok’s faceplates. “That...” Matoro began. “…Was impressive.” “We almost went Nova,” Kopaka sheathed his sword. “We would’ve killed you all.” “But you didn’t,” Huki replied. “It was reckless,” Tahu agreed. “It could’ve been catastrophic.” “At least we killed the Ra,” Pohatu said. “That’s something.” Kopaka looked at him before looking towards the north. “We’d best get moving again. We have to get to Mafa before the Bohrok do.” And with that, the Toa of Ice trudged forward through the deep snow. The other five glanced at each other before following, the wind still howling around them. The cold still chilled them to the core, and they shivered as they attempted to keep warm. As they walked, Jala looked up at the sky. Night was beginning to fall, and he could see the stars twinkling in the night sky. And all of a sudden, his lament for the cold seemed to vanish. The sight of the stars shining peacefully reminded him of home, and he knew that it wouldn’t be long until he returned there. So, he marched on, with the stars shining down on them, into the silent night. Characters *Tahu *Pohatu *Kopaka *Jala *Huki *Matoro *Bohrok **Tahnok **Kohrak *Bohrok Kaita Ra Trivia *''Into the Silent Night'' was written as a Christmas special of sorts. *This story is canon compliant and a sequel to Invader39's 2016 short story Campfire. *The title is taken from the for KING & COUNTRY song of the same name.